Glossary of Waste Terms- G

Garbage Garbage is most often used as a general term for domestic household wastes. The term however is used to describe any material disposed of at landfill.

Greenhouse GasA gas in the atmosphere that freely allows radiation from the sun through to the Earth's surface, but traps the heat reradiated back from the Earth's surface and radiates it back to the Earth. The healing effect is analogous to the manner in which the glass of a greenhouse traps the sun's radiation. This is a natural process, which is called the 'greenhouse effect'. Most greenhouse gasses occur naturally, but their concentrations can be increased by human action, causing an enhanced greenhouse effect and potential climate change.

The three principal greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Others include the two halogenated gas groups, hydroflourocarbons (HFC) and perfluorocarbons (PFC), as well as sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Ozone is another greenhouse gas formed from several precursor pollutants including nitrogen oxides (NO4), volatile organic compounds (VOC) and carbonmonoxide (CO).